Smart-grid specialist Itron has appointed Philip Mezey as its new chief executive while it continues its push into Asian energy markets.

Mezey will take over on January 1 2013 from LeRoy Nosbaum, who is set to retire at the end of the year.

Mezey was previously the president and chief operating officer of Itron’s global energy segment, with responsibility for electricity and gas businesses around the world, and served Itron in a number of roles before that.

“Philip has been behind many of the strategic initiatives that brought Itron to the leadership position it enjoys today and understands the technology, innovation and partnerships necessary to drive Itron to its next phase of growth,” said Jon Eliassen, chairman of the board of directors.

Itron (Liberty Lake, USA) has also revealed that John Holleran will become Itron’s executive vice president and chief operating officer to lead the global energy and water segments.

Holleran previously worked as the senior vice president of special projects and corporate secretary, but has been in charge of organizational restructuring since January this year.

“Moving John Holleran into the new global chief operating officer role is a great first step in establishing the next chapter for Itron,” said Mezey.

The announcements of management changes came on the same that Itron was chosen to work on a smart-grid pilot in Hong Kong.

The company’s technology will be used alongside Cisco’s in a rollout of 4,500 meters by CLP Power Hong Kong.

“I'm confident that the architecture from Itron and Cisco [San Jose, USA] will provide a flexible platform for CLP Power's future initiatives,” said Alan White, the vice president of Itron Energy Group, Asia Pacific. “We're looking forward to helping CLP Power achieve its goals and vision for smart energy delivery.”

Earlier this month, Itron formed a strategic alliance with Panasonic (Tokyo, Japan) to develop smart meters for sale to Japanese utilities.